Felis margarita margarita

Felis margarita margarita, sometimes called the Saharan sand cat, is a subspecies of the sand cat native to the Sahara.[1]

Felis margarita margarita
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Felis
Species:
F. margarita
Subspecies:
F. m. margarita
Trinomial name
Felis margarita margarita
Loche, 1858
Synonyms
  • F. m. meinertzhageni Pocock, 1938
  • F. m. airensis Pocock, 1938

Taxonomy

Victor Loche first described a sand cat zoological specimen found in the northern Algerian Sahara. He named it Felis margarita in recognition of Jean Auguste Margueritte, who headed the expedition into the Sahara.[2] This is the nominate subspecies.[3]

Following Loche's description, Reginald Innes Pocock described two more sand cat specimens from North Africa in 1938:[4]

  • Felis margarita meinertzhageni, a specimen from the Algerian Sahara.[5]
  • Felis margarita aïrensis, a specimen from the Aïr Mountains area in southwestern French Sudan.[6]

Today, these taxa are not recognized as valid but considered synonyms of F. m. margarita, the nominate subspecies.[7]

Characteristics

The Saharan sand cat is the smallest of all the four subspecies. It has a bright fur colour, pronounced markings and 2–6 rings on the tail.[8][9]

Distribution and habitat

The Saharan sand cat is patchily distributed in desert areas of Morocco, Algeria, Niger and Egypt.[10]

Ecology and behaviour

Sand cats prey on small rodents, birds and reptiles. They drink water if available, but satisfy most of their moisture need from prey, which they can dig out of the sand quickly.[11] They have also been observed to hunt and consume horned and sand vipers.[12]

Reproduction

In the Sahara, sand cats mate in the cold season between November and February. Young are born between January and April.[12]

A noise similar to a bark of a dog is thought to be a mating call. Captive sand cats normally have three kittens in a litter and have more than one litter per year.[13]

Threats

The sand cat is threatened by expanding human settlements, and is killed in traps set up by herders. Domestic dogs and cats are direct competitors for prey, and possibly transmit diseases.[11]

References
  1. Schauenberg, P. (1974). Données nouvelles sur le Chat des sables Felis margarita Loche, 1858 Archived February 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. [New data on the sandcat Felis margarita Loche, 1858.] Revue Suisse De Zoologie 81(4): 949–969
  2. Loche, V. (1858). "Description d'une nouvelle espèce de Chat par M. le capitaine Loche" [Description of a new species of cat, Mr. Captain Loche]. Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée. 2. X: 49–50.
  3. Haltenorth, T. (1953). "Lebende arabische Sandkatze (Felis margarita Loche, 1858)". Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen. 1: 71–73.
  4. Pocock, R. I. (1951). "Felis margarita Loche". Catalogue of the genus Felis. London: British Museum (Natural History). pp. 139−145.
  5. Pocock, R. I. (1938). "The Algerian Sand Cat (Felis margarita Loche)". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, Series B. 108 (1): 41–46. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1938.tb00021.x.
  6. Pocock, R. J. (1938). "A new race of the Sand-Cat (Felis margarita)". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 11. 1 (4): 472–476. doi:10.1080/00222933808526790.
  7. Wozencraft, W.C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 536. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  8. Hemmer, H. (1974). Studien zur Systematik und Biologie der Sandkatze (Felis margarita Loche, 1858). Zeitschrift des Kölner Zoo 17: 1–20.
  9. Sliwa, A. (2009). Sand Cat Felis margarita. In: D. E. Wilson, R. A. Mittermeier (eds.) Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Volume 1: Order Carnivora. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
  10. Sliwa, A.; Ghadirian, T.; Appel, A.; Banfield, L.; Sher Shah, M. & Wacher, T. (2016). "Felis margarita". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T8541A50651884.
  11. Sliwa, A. (2013). Felis margarita Sand Cat. In: J. Kingdon, D. Happold (eds.) Mammals of Africa, Volume V: Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses. Bloomsbury Publishing, London. Pp. 199–202.
  12. Dragesco-Joffé, A. (1993). Le Chat des sables, une redoutable chasseur de serpents. In: La Vie sauvage au Sahara. Delachaux & Niestlé, Lausanne, Paris.
  13. Wheeler, S. (2004). "Felis margarita." Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan and National Science Foundation.

Further reading
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